Ocean Princess Cruise to Norway Fjords

Sail Date:
June 2011

Destination:
Europe - British Isles & Western

Embarkation:
Dover

We departed from Dover, England June 25 on the Ocean Princess. We could see the beautiful white cliffs of Dover as we boarded the ship. The ship is the smallest we have ever sailed on and we were not sure what to expect.

The Ocean Princess is a small, beautiful ship. It has an elegant staircase to the deck with the Purser's desk. All the wood is dark and polished. There are no rugs put in the small elevators to tell you the day,the day is displayed above the elevator floor display. Although their were only two small elevators at the front, middle, and back of the ship, you never had to wait long and they were never crowded.We enjoyed the intimacy of this ship and found it to be perfect for a cruise that takes you to a different port every day.

As we left Dover, the fog was extremely dense and you could not see anything. The ship's fog horn was blown every few minutes.

Norway and the fjords are absolutely beautiful and it was a wonderful and scenic More
experience.

The weather the last week of June in Norway was cool but not cold. It rained everyday but the last day, while we were in Bergen. The rain was not heavy and a light poncho or rainproof jacket were all that was needed. A light jacket was all we needed for the cool weather. There were 2 days on the ship that it was sunny and the deck around the pool was used by sunbathers and people using the hot tubs. The ship furnished blankets around the pool, as well as beach towels.

The western fjords of Norway are mountainous with many rivers flowing down their sides and numerous waterfalls. The ship is small enough to travel deep into the fjords and sail slow enough to get good pictures.The sun did not set until almost midnight and rose again about 3:30 a.m.so there was lots of time to take pictures.

The ship's shows were held in the Cabaret Lounge, which did not have a stage area. We all sat close enough to feel the energy of the shows. There is a Tahatian Lounge on the top front of the ship and they would have very good music there every night. It seems with all the sun, you really do not want to go to bed.

Our cabin was on the very front of the ship. It offered excellent views, but it was quite noisy when the ship was putting out it's anchor. That did not seem to matter much to us because we were up ready to see everything.

I would recommend this ship and cruise to anyone that enjoys mountains and cool weather. We will definitely consider going on another small ship. Less